Thomas County cat. [volume] (Colby, Kan.) 1885-1891, 1887-01-13
MALE HOUSEKEEPING.

MALE HOUSEKEEPING.
tome AmusinE Features Of Life On the
Great Ranches Of the West.
Ono of the most comical features of
:nnch life is the absence of femininity.
No wonder. We are two hundred
miles from a milliner's shop. with the
distance constantly ON the increase.
Last Christmas desperate effort was
made to celebrate the occasion by a
ball. Over 10000 square miles of ter
rity was raked over. and the result was
seven fair maidens and over forty
dancing men. Each lady had six part
ners-a rather more than Scripture al
lOwance. As every body here is en-
gagged i'll cattle-raisIng. and only gives
/, the odds and ends of his mind to
housekeeping. the full capacity Of the
male for that industry never is dcvel-
Oped. He seldom or never gets much
Beyond the manufacture OF plain bread.
coffee and steak. These three articles
he will produce from the raw materials,
taking his meat from the foot, if neces-
sary, upon very short notice. Even
an unframed chef can boil potatoes. or
open one end of a fruit-can and pass it
around the table, letting each feeder
extract with his fork ad libitum.
Cooking. however. is only one detail
of successful housekeeping. The
laundry must be attended to. The
cock must occasionally act rs chamber
maid and undertaker-all of which is
a severe tax upon untutored mascu-
Unity.
One of the most celebrated men in
the West is MIR. -. He has sho: in
Vulnerable Indians. and is always in
demand when there is = hOrse-thief
abroad. He wears his hair long, and
strikingly reminds one of Buffalo Bill.
! first saw an immense photograph of
this Warrior in the window of saloon,
and it was a sight to chill mans
blood. A few days afterward, stop
ping at a ranch. noticed man with
his rifle beside him. bending over q
wash-board and peacefully soaping a
pair of stockings. This was Mr.. -
the terrorof County. and for whom
awaits some day bloody death. He
is one of the most hospitable of men.
Whoever visits him is sure of good
dinner. although female hand has new
er cOnsecrated his cOOk-stOve His
ranch is of baronial proportions. and
if it only had d floor. would be almost
luxurious. The adobe walls are dec
GRATED with either white muslin or
brown wrapping-paper. A suite of
rooms in brown is preferable, because,
after the lapse of 4 few years, the vir-
| g Il, =.
get ily-specked and torn.
The male hOusekceper makes short
work of his duties as chambcrmaid.
As the guests sleep in blankets and he
only sweeps out once a month, he bOr-
rows no trouble. One wash-basin and
towel (rencwed weekly supply the
household. BY and by the toothbrush
will make its appearance. and after
ward the barber. But we will not an
ticipatc matters. For the present every
man is his own artist and tailor. The
cowboy, rs 4 rule, is a great reader.
His appetite for magazines aud news
papers is abnormal.
1t is marvellous how comfortable an
open-air camp can BE- made. 1t takes
but y few minutes to feed and hobble
uolSCS anu III Ala tCA Mill,
utes more the bacon will be sizzling in
the skillet the dough browning and
the coilee-pot bubbling and walloping.
There is no table. Each gentleman
helps himself. There are dozen ways
of making comfortable bed in the
open air. If the night is windy, and
no cedar is near the wagon-boX (if you
happen to have onc), set up against
the wind makes an excellent shelter
for the head, and with the feet to the
fire, and a saddle for pillow. and a
couple of blankets, one can sleep like
King. 1t never rains. If the night
is very cold fires are made up and al
lowed to die, and the boys sleep in the
warm ashes and sand. What about
sickness? This is an item never calcu-
lated upon. An occasional horSe-kick
or a gun-shOt wound is the extent of
the cowboys ailments. As there are
no doctors to be had, every one must
be his own physician. Occasionally Il
man meets q violent death. As there
are no preachers, and PRAYING is 4 lost
art. the funeral is soon dispatched. A
cracker-box for the head, sand for the
winding-shec and the howl of the
coyote, and the everlasting winds for
his requiem. constitutes the frontiers
mans obsequics.
1t is wonderful how much good nat
ure and cheerfuiness this Open-air life
develops. While the ranchmcn are by
no means saints, and have rather more
than the avera " of sins. yet they are
full of good fellowship. The house,
keeper is always glad to receive guests
the more the merrier. A large ranch
has cabins a. every water-hOle, and the
rent is always tree. Astrangcr usually
takes poss assion. cooks at the fire.
place, sleeps in the best bedroom and
in the morning is off and no questions
asked. Cor. Indianapolis Jour-
nal.